The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Understanding the dynamics of oceans is increasingly important for environmental as well as commercial purposes. The dynamics of ocean currents, for example, can tell researchers valuable information about the affects of changing weather patterns. This is particularly true with regard to changes in ocean currents. As global climate change begins to materialize, the affects of ocean current and water movement have become bellwethers for researchers, environmentalists, policy makers, and the like. Indeed, the effects of climate change have been most notable, not in increases in atmospheric temperature, but rather in alarming increases in ocean temperatures.
Numerous techniques are used to measure ocean dynamics such as current drift. Water drifters have been particularly useful for this purpose. A water drifter is a buoyant floating device, typically, with a visual marker, that allows researchers to track fluid and/or current movements over time. While useful, effective measurement of drift in a large water body such as an ocean requires a very large number of drifters, 1,000 drifters, 10,000 drifters, or more. Such large numbers are needed to accurately map the entire water body, or at least the entire expanse of distance over which drift measurements are desired. Typically, water drifters are used, since they naturally map the ocean currents by moving in response to those currents—although some fixed buoy configurations do exist.
Unfortunately, most water drifter devices present a considerable environmental hazard. The typical instruments use plastic components, which can be environmentally digested, but their typical degradation time is approximately 1000 years. Over that time, the plastics break down into small pieces, some of which are consumed by fish, birds, and others living elements, often to their lethal detriment. As a result, when researchers deploy large numbers of water drifters, they do so conceding that a large environmental impact is inevitable, or a lofty expensive effort to recapture as many drifters as practicable must be used. In either case, there is a desire to have better water drifter design, one that is environmentally sound and instrumentally accurate.